Mark Ilott
Mark Christopher Ilott
Born: 27 August 1970, Watford, Hertfordshire
Major Teams: Essex, England.
Known As: Mark Ilott
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Left Arm Medium Fast
Test Debut: England v Australia at Nottingham, 3rd Test, 1993
Latest Test: England v South Africa at Port Elizabeth, 4th Test, 1995/96
Career Statistics:
TESTS
(including 26/12/1995)
M I NO Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 Ct St
Batting & Fielding 5 6 2 28 15 7.00 21.37 0 0 0 0
O M R W Ave BBI 5 10 SR Econ
Bowling 173.4 38 542 12 45.16 3-48 0 0 86.8 3.12
ONE-DAY INTERNATIONALS
M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct St
Batting 0 - - - - - - - - -
Balls M R W Ave Best 4w 5w SR Econ
Bowling 0 - - - - - - - - -
FIRST-CLASS
(1988 - 2002)
M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct St
Batting & Fielding 192 245 52 2830 60 14.66 0 4 54 0
O R W Ave BBI 5 10 SR Econ
Bowling 5893.1 17537 633 27.70 9-19 27 3 55.8 2.97
LIST A LIMITED OVERS
(1989 - 2001)
M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct St
Batting & Fielding 185 104 38 797 56* 12.07 0 2 31 0
O R W Ave BBI 4w 5w SR Econ
Bowling 1452.2 6124 232 26.39 5-21 6 1 37.5 4.21
- Explanations of First-Class and List A status courtesy of the ACS.
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Profile:
A left-arm seamer, just over six feet tall, Mark Ilott became the perfect
successor to the left-arm swing of John Lever at Essex. Born in Watford in
August 1970, he made his debut for the county in 1988, having previously
impressed for Hertfordshire Schools and Hertfordshire in 1987-88, at 16
being the youngest player (at the time) to represent the minor county.
Ilott established himself in the Essex team at the end of 1990 with a
haul of 5-34 against Derbyshire, impressing enough to earn a late call-up
for the A tour of Sri Lanka after Steve Watkin was ruled out through injury.
At the time he was playing his second season for East Torrens District in
Adelaide. He did well on tour, and a bright future seemed assured. However a
stress fracture of the back robbed him of almost the entire 1991 season, and
an operation was necessary in August of that year. He bounced back with 64
wickets in 1992, winning another A tour place, this time to Australia.
1993 saw Ilott win his county cap and play his first Test cricket. As
12th man for the first two Tests of a one-sided series, he saw England go
2-0 down before he made his debut in a much-changed side along with
Lathwell, Thorpe and McCague. England drew the game and Ilott batted
stubbornly and bowled with great heart to take 4-152 in the game. He proved
his stamina again in the next Test, taking 3-161 in 51 overs of hard graft
as England lost by an innings. Another loss followed at Birmingham as Ilott,
in common with the other English seamers, was unable to penetrate against
the strong Australian batting line-up.
Relegated to another A tour, Ilott responded in fine style, taking 37
wickets in South Africa at an average of just 15 (including 6-61 against
Transvaal), and was 12th man for the first Test against New Zealand the
following summer before another inopportune injury again sidelined him.
However 59 more first-class wickets earned him yet another A tour, but he
could manage only 12 overs in India as injury again intervened.
Ilott bowled beautifully in 1995, taking 78 first-class wickets as Essex
relied heavily upon him. Career-best figures of 9-19, including a hat-trick
of lbws, against Northants and match figures of 14-105 (gallingly Essex
still lost) were the best Essex figures ever for a single innings. The key
appeared to be an excellent command of swing combined with increased
control, while a slightly altered action lessened the risk of injury. It was
enough to warrant a recall to the Test squad for the tour to South Africa,
where, playing in the rain-ravaged third Test he produced Test-best figures
of 3-48. He bowled well, though without much luck, in the fourth Test but a
thigh injury sidelined him halfway through and his tour was over.
There has been no recall to Test colours. Ilott took another 50
first-class wickets in 1996, but appeared to have lost his cutting edge at
times, perhaps feeling the burden of carrying a weakened Essex seam attack.
1997 began well, but a heel injury impeded his progress and he struggled to
recapture his rhythm. He was involved in an unsavoury, but in truth pretty
harmless, pushing and finger-wagging incident with Robert Croft in the
tension of a NatWest semi-final against Glamorgan. The presence of
television cameras did them no favours and a £1000 fine and suspended ban
followed.
A good 1998 season was followed by an injury-ravaged 1999 and 2000. Ilott
found himself well down in the pecking order for a Test place behind younger
contenders and a higher quality English seam attack than had been available
for at least a decade. Perhaps a little short of pace to trouble the best
players on Test pitches, Mark Ilott remained one of the most consistent
performers in county cricket and, when fit, was still a tough proposition.
However, as his fitness went through a difficult time he found it
increasingly difficult to maintain a place in the Essex side and, at the end
of the 2002 season - his benefit year - he was released while he still had
the chance to find another county. Outside cricket he runs a co-operative
hospitality firm and is a witty and likeable journalist, running his own
website: www.markilott.com (Copyright CricInfo October 2002)
Last Updated: Saturday, 09-Nov-2002 05:49:44 GMT
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